


And The West Wind Blows

by Captains_Orders



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Biracial Fareeha Amari, Biracial Jesse McCree, Blood, Character Death, Convoluted Western Setting, Explicit Language, Implied Relationships, Implied Widowreaper, M/M, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, POV Third Person, Side Genji Shimada/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-08-28 02:46:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8428453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captains_Orders/pseuds/Captains_Orders
Summary: Jesse McCree has been wanted by the law for most of his life, for things both good and bad, but when whispers of a dangerous gang plan come to light he and his mentor Gabriel Reyes must band together with men and women of all sorts to protect their broken but treasured pieces of the American West.





	1. The Blackwatch Boys

**Author's Note:**

> I never expected to be writing for this fandom let alone planning a multichapter fic? I'm amazed. I've got the majority plotted out and the first few chapters written so I'm excited and confident that I'll actually be able to finish this one. Planning on bi-weekly updates.
> 
> I'll be honest this fic was first inspired when I thought of The Magnificent 7 remake and then really took off when I saw the movie, a dash of inspo from my Red Dead replay, and a bit of my old love for Westerns and here we are.  
> (and for this one I swear I'll find a beta)

Smoke and booze perfumed the air, and it was a wonder he was able to hear anything over the rabble of drunk men hootin’ and hollerin’ like it was their last day on earth. Jesse leaned back in his chair, resisting the urge to prop his boots on the table to save Reyes the trouble of nagging at him for his bad manners. The man beside him hadn’t said a damn word since they sat down for this meeting, instead swirling and sipping his whiskey like it was worth more than both their bounties. He usually left the talking to him anyway. With his hat tipped low, Jesse couldn’t see his eyes, just the black embossed leather, but he seemed tense, and a tense Reyes was never good. Death, that was always what Reyes looked like. Dressed head to toe in black from his boots to his duster and that damn fancy hat. A tense death that sipped whiskey with the living before he sent them to hell. It wasn’t surprising that Jesse could feel no shortage of stares bein’ sent their way. 

Jesse took a long drag from his cigar, only half paying attention to what the man across the table was saying. 

“-and we can split the haul fifty-fifty. Shouldn’t be too hard for you boys now should it?” That caught Jesse’s attention and he narrowed his eyes at the other man. Robbin’ a station wagon headed for the bank? That wasn’t how they did business, and there was no way even the two idiots in front of him thought so. 

“Well boys that proposition of yours is all well and good, but we’re looking for something a bit, how do I say? Oh a bit less bullshit and a mite more honesty. Why do you wanna hire us?” The larger of the two men glared and spit off to the side, some lingering drool sticking to his unkempt beard. Jesse suppressed a sneer. He could almost hear the sisters from the orphanage nagging at him as they scrubbed harsh behind his ears, ‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’ they used to say, and it was about the only lesson of theirs that stuck. Obviously it was a lesson neither of these men had ever heard about. 

“The famous Blackwatch Boys too good for us is that it?” Drool Beard spat but his partner held him back with a hand as gnarled as the undertaker’s. Jesse had enough sense not to confirm that statement. 

“Well there is another job,” came the smaller, and quite obviously smarter, of the two’s reply. “Biggest bounty you ever did see. Over two million for a man in black and a man with a red poncho.” It was like the air turned to ice, and the easy mask of a smile dropped off Jesse’s face in an instant. The threat hung in the air, heavy as a summer storm, and Jesse’s fingers itched. 

“That is a mighty big bounty,” he replied nonchalantly, but he stared down the two men with a threat of his own. 

“Biggest one ever posted, we’d be richer than them fools who first found gold.”

“I reckon you would be,” Jesse agreed with an edge to his voice. 

“All for The Reaper and that man they call Deadeye,” the smart one trailed off, the look in his eyes an easy one to read. Greed and far too much confidence. 

“Huh, wonder who that might be,” he said, puffing once more on his cigar and shrugging nonchalantly. The first man made to reach for his gun, and in the blink of an eye Jesse slipped Peacemaker from her holster and put a bullet between the eyes of their prospective business partners. The saloon went dead silent for a long moment as the other patrons all took in the two dead men and the one who shot them. Gabe took one last sip of his drink, swigging it back in a smooth swallow before setting his glass down on the table with a shake of his head. 

“How many times do I have to tell you, cabrón? Bullets make for bad business.”

“So do bounty hunters,” he replied smoothly. “Gotta do what I gotta do.”

“And now you gotta talk us out of this mess,” Reyes smirked, settling back in his chair with his hands up, cool and calm as always. There were guns trained on them from every corner of the room, the whole place holding its breath since Jesse fired that first shot. He let out another puff of smoke, watching it dissipate into the tense air. 

“Well shit, guess I do,” he muttered, raising his own hands high. “My apologies for disturbin’ this fine here establishment, but we all know what those men planned to do to me and my associate here. So we can turn this place into a shooting gallery, which seems a shame considering how nice it is, or we can make like civilized men,” he paused and moved his hand down slowly to his belt, “and have a drink on me,” he finished, slapping a hefty bag from his last job’s pay on the table. All was quiet for a moment more, and then the room erupted into cheers as the morality of men was outweighed by their love of liquor. Jesse slumped back in his chair with a huff, cleaned out in the name of peace. Gabe’s face was impassive, but the slight shake to his shoulders gave him away every time. 

“Laugh it up, asshole,” Jesse snapped. “Next time I’ll let you do the peacekeepin’ and see how it turns out.”

“Waste of bullets that way,” was all the reply he got out of his mentor, who simply smirked and called for another drink. Jesse cursed him under his breath as he fiddled with his empty glass. 

“And it’s a goddamn serape. Bastards never get it right.” He snuffed his cigar on Drool Beard’s corpse, the taste now too bitter for his liking. 

\--

Jesse couldn’t stop thinking about the men, mulling it over as he and Reyes followed the innkeep up the stairs to a family room with two shitty small beds instead of one slightly less shitty big one. It just wasn’t sitting right, how quick their tune had changed. He sat down heavily on the meager bunk, removing his shoes and placing them at the foot of the bed. His serape was next, tenderly placed beside him to be used in lieu of the scratchy blanket the inn offered for the chill of the desert nights. It was a rare ritual when they stayed in inns, take off all the belts and holsters, sleeping simply like normal men. Well, normal men with guns under their pillows and knives close at hand. His arm came next, right hand fiddling with the straps until the wood and metal of his left came free. Its straps slipped over the jut of the meager bedpost easily and Jesse rubbed at the tender skin.

“So what now,” he asked while he fussed. 

“We head out. No use hurtin’ our heads over things we don’t know shit about. We’ll figure it out from there.”

“That easy, huh?” Reyes always had a talent for making things seem simple. 

“Yeah, that easy. Now sleep, nothing we can do now.”

“I swear you could sleep if I left you out in a sandstorm with a goddamn cactus as a pillow,” he chuckled dryly. 

“Just sleep,” Reyes grumbled from his side of the room, already sprawled out on the bed, feet hanging a hair off the edge and hat tipped over his eyes to stave off the dying light outside. Jesse didn’t bother to respond, instead following suit and settling onto the cot, dangling feet and all. But it was a hard thought to shake, and the men from the saloon seemed to haunt his dreams in the form of lingering rumors and echoes that he couldn’t shake.

\--

They left town the next morning, a trail of dust in their wake and only more dirt and death ahead. With the sun blazing as it was they kept their pace fairly slow for the horses, but it did nothing to stop them. Jesse wasn’t sure where they were headed, only that they needed somewhere to think out a plan, maybe lay low for a while. A two million bounty for the Blackwatch Boys was and had been easy to avoid for the year it had been up, descriptions that were more than ‘men with masks that fought like hell’ was the concerning part. Most people had never made the connection of who the Blackwatch Boys really were, and if they did they weren’t often long for the world. 

They’d been careful, always disguised for the most part, covered their tracks good, never let anyone who lived through a job get a good look at them, but California screamed in his head, his ghost of an arm twinged, and Jesse cursed.

“The goddamn train!” He spat it out like rancid meat. He wasn’t looking at Reyes, but he was sure the other man was nodding as best he could with the gait of the horse beneath him. 

“The train.” An agreement not laced with nearly as much anger.

“I thought we were careful.” Jesse eased the reins and his horse slowed and stopped, hooves pawing nervously at the dry earth.

“We were,” Reyes replied evenly. “But what didn’t we do on the train?” It dawned on Jesse with the sudden harshness of a summer flood.

“The passengers.” The anger left him as quick as it had come. “They saw us?”

“They saw enough. You think I gave a shit who saw or heard what when I pulled you into that car bleeding all over the place with your arm torn off?” It wasn’t often the Jesse felt like a child, but Reyes’s eyes were burning and his tone was sharp as a whip. “We were dressed as we always are because we thought it would be easy and it wasn’t. But the bounty posters still don’t have shit on us still so what do you think’s goin’ on?”

“You think someone’s huntin’ us down outside the law?” The thought was almost hard to grasp. The law had been chasin’ them for years and hadn’t done much more than catch smoke and grasp at leads that went nowhere. Other outlaws trying to take them out had happened sure, but never got anything but more blood on their hands. A gang gunnin’ for the Blackwatch Boys, now that was damn near impossible.

“That’s what we need to find out.” Was all Reyes had to offer, but the thought was starting to worry on the back of Jesse’s mind like a scab he couldn't pick. “We’ll head for Kingston, find out what we can and go from there. Hopefully we’ll be back to breaking bandits by the end of the week.” Then he spurred his horse and shot forward, a blur of black amidst the pale brown of the desert. 

Jesse did what he always did and followed.


	2. Way Down in Kingston

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very bad at scheduled updates but here's chapter 2.   
> Guess I should start the beta hunt...

By dawn they were already on their way again. There was a nip to the the early morning desert air that made Jesse’s nostrils burn, and by noon the sun was blistering as Kingston crept onto the horizon.

No one spared them much of a glance when they rolled into town, either used to their occasional visits or simply smart enough to ignore men that looked the way they did. It never bothered Jesse none whether they got gawked at or not, but he did like a bit of the attention. An old man glared at them warily from the front of the bank, like it would ward them off from the money if they cared to have it, Jesse smirked and made a point to tip his hat at him as they passed by. It was the closest to coming home that they ever got.

The Widow’s Kiss was hidden away in the back end of town so decent folk could pretend it wasn’t there. Kingston was probably the nicest place they ever stopped in with any sort of frequency, no one there gave two shits if you were an outlaw as long as you minded your own business and didn’t disturb the peace. They fit in just fine. Reyes dismounted first, tossing Jesse the reins without a backwards glance and making his way to the ornate doors of the pleasure house.

“Don’t worry about me you just go on ahead,” Jesse called to his back, dismounting and hitching the horses outside before following his mentor. The outside never did The Kiss any justice, within it was by far the nicest establishment Jesse had ever set foot in, not that he had much to compare it to, but it still made most places seem unsightly. He caught up just in time to see Reyes slip a rather pretty whore some money and send her up the stairs, and Jesse watched her lift her skirts and practically race up the steps, hand hardly skimming the ornate rail. 

“Our favorite spider too busy for us?” he quipped. The glare was expected and Jesse simply shrugged and pulled out a cigar. “Just statin’ the facts.” The cowboy shrugged, wiping out a match to light it with a quick flick of his wrist, ignoring his partner’s scowl. 

“Just watch your manners, ingrate.” 

“Hey you know me, I’m always on my best behavior for the ladies.” It earned him a scoff, but Jesse was well practiced in ignoring the irritation he so often caused. The smirk stayed on his face as he scanned the room, nothing out of the ordinary, the same old sort of men that always seemed to occupy the Kiss, too wrapped up in inviting women to pay them any mind. 

It didn’t take long, soon most eyes in the place turned to the stairs as the madame of the house made her down the steps with an elegance that almost seemed misplaced. Amélie Lacroix was a dangerous beauty, and if Jesse hadn’t known her half as well as he did he’d be just as distracted by the plunging neckline of her rich satin dress as every other man present. But Jesse did know the truth behind the stories, Madame Lacroix could kill a man ten different ways with none the wiser. Folks didn’t call her the Widowmaker for nothing, she’d killed enough men to earn a reputation outside of the town’s richest widow. There were only three rules at The Widow’s Kiss, pay well, treat the girls right, and don’t cross Lacroix. It was the only place Jesse could think of where he followed all the rules.

“Gabriel,” Lacroix began when she reached them. “It’s been too long, mon cher.” Reyes swept his hat off in a smooth motion, holding it behind him as he bowed his head and lifted a fair hand to his lips in a gentlemanly greeting.

“You been keeping out of trouble?” 

“Oh you know me, Gabriel, nothing I can’t handle.” Jesse coughed, and she finally seemed to notice him. “I see the Blackwatch Boys are still a pair.” Her gaze flitted over to him, and she looked him up and down with a cocked brow, inspecting him like he was a piece of decor not to her tastes. “You look rather mangy, Mister McCree. Of course you know our baths are always open to you.”

“Always a pleasure, Miss Lacroix,” Jesse replied, tipping his hat as he forced a smile. Damn woman always knew just how to get under someone’s skin. 

“I take it you two are not just here to see me?”

“As much as we’re blessed to be in your charming presence I’m afraid not.” They both ignored him.

“We had a run in with some bounty hunters back near New Bansvile, know anything about that?” 

“Perhaps,” she replied, eyes like liquid gold scanning the room. “But we should speak privately.”

“That bad?” Jesse couldn’t keep the edge from his voice, but made for the stairs nonetheless, mind already trying to catch the possible reason. A finger prodding his chest stopped him in his tracks, and he looked down to see Miss Lacroix giving him a pointed look.

“Not you,” she said firmly, and though he wanted to Jesse knew better than to argue. 

Instead he forced a tight lipped smile and said, “Well now, s’pose I wouldn’t want to get in the way.” With that he stepped back and let her pass him by. Reyes stopped beside him as he made to follow her.

“Just keep an eye on things ‘til I get back.”

“Oh I’ll be sure to keep at least one as long as I can get my hands busy.” Reyes cuffed his ear as he went but continued after the lady of the house. It happened enough that Jesse didn’t feel insulted by being left out, but not knowing all the information until Gabe told him later made him buzz with an energy born of impatience. So he did the only logical thing to do for a man made to wait, he slipped back to the bar, ordered a whiskey, and watched the smoke dissipate from the burning tip of his cigar. A couple of drinks wouldn't hurt his eyes none, but it would sure make the wait go by a hell of a lot quicker. 

-X-

The Madame’s office was the only door on the left of the stairs, the first door every man who took a girl up had to pass on their way to a private room. Most of the fools didn’t realize it, but it was a well concealed threat. A display that the lady Lacroix knew everything that went on under her roof. Gabriel had never ventured past that first door, and he knew the office behind it all too well. There hadn’t been much change since the last time he’d been there, a new painting hung to the left, a simple sunset scene, and there were a few trinkets scattered about that he didn’t recognize. For the most part it was the same old space, and the woman slowly trailing her fingers up his arm was just as he’d last seen her. Too bad this wasn’t a personal visit, at least not to start. 

“What do you know, Amélie?” She sighed, hands falling away from where they’d been fiddling with the buttons of his black vest.

“Right to the chase,” she muttered, moving to her ornate desk to grab an expensive looking bottle of liquor and a pair of equally expensive looking glasses. She sat down on the couch near the center of the room, her seating for personal guests, and patted the space beside her. He joined her without a word, accepting the glass she offered as he settled into the impossibly soft pink cushions, such a stark compliment to the midnight ink of her dress. 

“Rumors mostly, nothing solid, but my little spiders say something is coming in from Austin.” Her face was impassive as she spoke and poured the amber liquid into their glasses.

“That far East?”

“Something big is happening, Gabriel. What I’ve been hearing...” He let her pause, her eyes suddenly far away. Gabriel gave her time, opting to drink instead of speak, relishing the burn and almost sighing at the taste of good tequila. Only the best from Amélie. “Do you remember that gang, those bastards that killed Gérard?”

“Hard to forget,” he replied, taking another sip and swirling the drink absentmindedly when he looked back at her. He’d seen it happen, remembered it clearly. “The Talon Gang.” She nodded, expression grim. 

“Word is they are making their way towards Sister’s Creek.” Gabriel stiffened, the name bringing back memories he wanted to keep buried. 

“What the hell do they want from that pisshole?” 

“No one knows for sure. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s just the start of something more. If they’re smart they’ll hit a more prosperous target one they have the Creek under their thumb. It’s not good for much save settlement.” His glass clinked when he set it down on the table harder than he intended, a hand scratching through his beard as he thought about what sort of reasoning could be behind such a play. 

“This ain’t good.” Was all he could think to say. 

“No,” came her reply. “But that's not even the worst part.”

“Oh?”

“Your boy won’t be happy,” she began.

“McCree’s not my boy, pain in my ass, but he’s not my boy,” he chuckled, but it was dry and humorless, body too tense to be eased by such a common jibe between them. 

“Of course not.” The same tense smile tugged at her red lips. 

“What’s this got to do with him anyway?”

“It’s not just Talon.” He quirked a dark brow, waiting for something he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Her eyes caught his and she said the one word that could have ruined his day. “Deadlock.” 

“Shit.”

An hour later he was descending the steps as quickly as he could manage, McCree lifted a glass up in greeting once he saw him, and then threw the contents back with a quick gulp and slammed the glass down on the counter. 

“Took ya long enough, I was startin’ to get bored,” he said, grabbing his hat from the stool beside him and placing it back on his head. Amélie was right, he was starting to look shaggy, like an old dog who’d spent too long out in the fields. No time to get him cleaned up now though. 

“C’mon, we’re leaving.”

“Already? We just got here, thought I’d even get a bath worked into our busy schedule.”

“It’ll have to wait.”

“Easy to say for the man who smells like perfume,” Jesse teased, all too smug about it. Gabriel huffed, cuffing his ear as he passed him by. Ever faithful Jesse followed without much question, but he practically radiated curiosity, though it wasn't until they hit the outskirts of Kingston that he spoke up. 

“Sun’s gonna set soon. Where we goin’, Gabe?”

“Just far enough.” Was all he supplied in answer. He could tell Jesse didn’t like not knowing, but it wouldn’t take them long to put Kingston far enough behind them for what he needed. 

Soon enough the perfect spot came into view, a barren patch of desert land with only a few scattered saguaros for company. Gabriel dismounted and hitched his horse to the husk of a long dead mesquite tree near by before moving to prep the best area for a fire, Jesse followed suit wordlessly. He always got quiet when he knew things were serious, and Gabriel sighed, trying to figure out where to start with the whole ordeal. 

“You ready to talk now? Cause you look like you took a taste of rotten moonshine and it's startin’ to worry me.” Jesse’s never been good with hiding his feelings, and it’s not hard to tell that he’s nervous beneath the bluster. The fire sparked to life under his care and Gabriel put the piece of flint back into the pouch at his belt before sitting down with his arms draped over his knees, staring into the flames so he wouldn’t have to look at his partner. 

“There’s something big going on, McCree.” 

“This about them rumors coming in from Austin?” Jesse replied and Gabriel cocked a brow at him. “What you think I just order drinks?” A fair point, and Gabriel waved it off to continue.

“Yeah Austin.” Damn it shouldn’t be so hard to just get to the damn point. Blowing out a long sigh Gabriel pulled out a cigarette and lit it carefully off the campfire, he was gonna need it. Taking a long puff he blew the smoke out his mouth to mingle with that of the fire’s and spoke.

“It’s Deadlock.” Was all he said, and it was enough. He watched Jesse’s face grow dangerous, half hidden beneath the broad brim of his hat, but there was no hiding the hard set of his jaw. Then he stood stiffly, shoulders tense and shaking for a long moment before the anger bubbled out in a yell that rang out into silent desert. McCree had always been a quick tempered spitfire, but this was more than he’d ever seen, a full on tantrum as Jesse stormed around their little camp with a blind fury in his step. Deadlock was a touchy subject, a festered wound that Jesse picked at, unable to cleanse it from his system. Gabriel was prepared for the first strike as Jesse reared back and thrust his left arm into the nearest cactus where it sunk into the wrist and stopped. A string of cusses made their way to Gabriel’s ear as Jesse yanked at his left arm until it pulled free, no doubt with a few splinters. It seemed to take the fight out of Jesse though, and he sat down on the other side of the fire hard, red in the face as he picked a few long thorns out of the wooden parts of his fingers. Wordlessly Gabriel tossed him his canteen to wash the sticky residue from the metal and wood, damn thing already needed a good fixing. After a few more colorful curses Jesse quieted, the rage leaving him with his dignity it seemed. 

“Deadlock,” he said after a while like nothing happened and Gabriel had the decency to let it slide.   
“We’ll figure something out, we always do,” he said with as much stern assurance as he could muster. But we’re gonna need some help.”

“Oh yeah? And where exactly are we supposed to find that?” Jessie said, voice doubtful and expression more so. All those years and the damn boy had never learned. With a cluck of his tongue Gabriel shot him a knowing grin. 

“I have a few ideas.”


End file.
